Pongal 2004 Date — Thursday, January 15, 2004
When is Pongal in 2004? Pongal 2004 falls on Thursday, January 15, 2004.
Observance: Makar Sankranti (Pongal). City calendars may vary slightly by sunrise and amanta or purnimanta tradition — confirm with your local mandir.
Pongal 2004 — full list of dates
| Observance | Date & day | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bhogi Pongal | Wed, 14 January 2004 | |
| Thai Pongal (Surya Pongal) | Thu, 15 January 2004 | Main day |
| Mattu Pongal | Fri, 16 January 2004 | |
| Kaanum Pongal | Sat, 17 January 2004 |
Why we celebrate
The Sun enters sidereal Makara (Capricorn) and begins Uttarayana, its northward journey. It is the one major Hindu festival fixed to the solar calendar rather than the moon, so it lands on 14 or 15 January every year. In Tamil Nadu the same day is Thai Pongal, the harvest thanksgiving that opens the auspicious month of Thai.
Regional notes
Tamil Nadu: Thai Pongal. Andhra and Telangana: three-day Sankranti with Bhogi and Kanuma. Karnataka: Suggi Habba with ellu-bella exchange. Maharashtra: til-gul with the greeting 'til-gul ghya, god god bola'. Gujarat and Rajasthan: Uttarayan kites. Punjab: Maghi, the morning after Lohri. Assam: Magh Bihu with meji bonfires.
How it is celebrated
Four days in the Tamil country: Bhogi (bonfire of the old), Thai Pongal (the pongal pot boiling over), Mattu Pongal (honouring cattle) and Kaanum Pongal (family outings). Elsewhere it is Uttarayan kite flying in Gujarat, Lohri and Maghi in Punjab, Magh Bihu in Assam, Khichdi in Uttar Pradesh, and holy dips at Ganga Sagar, Prayagraj and Haridwar.
Puja timing
Punya Kaal is the roughly forty ghatis (about sixteen hours) after the Sun's ingress into Makara; if the transit happens after sunset the whole observance shifts to the next sunrise, which is why some years fall on 15 January.
Foods & offerings
Sakkarai pongal and ven pongal, sugarcane, til-gul laddu and gajak, khichdi, pitha in Assam.
Rituals
- Boil the pongal pot at sunrise and let it overflow while calling 'Pongalo Pongal'.
- Bathe in a river or take a sankalpa snan at home before sunrise.
- Draw a kolam or rangoli at the doorway.
- Give til-gul, grain or cloth as daan.
Pongal dates by year
| Year | Date & day |
|---|---|
| 2003 | Tue, 14 January 2003 |
| 2004 | Thu, 15 January 2004 |
| 2005 | Fri, 14 January 2005 |
| 2006 | Sat, 14 January 2006 |
| 2007 | Mon, 15 January 2007 |
Hindu festivals around Pongal 2004
- Makar Sankranti 2004 date — Thu, 15 January 2004
- Maha Shivaratri 2004 date — Tue, 20 January 2004
- Vasant Panchami 2004 date — Mon, 26 January 2004
- Thaipusam 2004 date — Fri, 6 February 2004
- Holika Dahan 2004 date — Sat, 6 March 2004
- Holi 2004 date — Sun, 7 March 2004
- Ugadi 2004 date — Sun, 21 March 2004
- Gudi Padwa 2004 date — Sun, 21 March 2004
- Chaitra Navratri 2004 date — Sun, 21 March 2004
- Ram Navami 2004 date — Tue, 30 March 2004
- Hanuman Jayanti 2004 date — Mon, 5 April 2004
- Vishu 2004 date — Tue, 13 April 2004
